Off to Sweden

This blog will be inactive for the next year.  I am on leave for the 2011-12 school year so that I can study in Sweden for my Master's program.  I will return in the fall of 2012.  See you then!

Week of September 27

9th:  Students will complete their notes on the "Worst Jobs of the Middle Ages"  video Monday.  Tuesday they will complete their Leadership group assignment that they worked on last week.  Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday we will be debriefing about the group simulation and studying for a test on Culture and Government, which will be either Friday or the following Monday or Tuesday.  Students should be getting their government definition notecards back by Tuesday for use in studying for the test.  Many students did not complete the notecards as instructed or do all of them.  This will be have a significant impact on students grades, as the notecards count as 2 assingment grades, and the info on them will be about 50% of the first quiz.  If students have not completed their notecards or get a low score, I will allow them to turn them in late or to fix what's broken, but points will be deducted.  Students should arrange to see me if they are having trouble with their notecards.

11th  As with the 9th graders, they should be getting their notecards back by Tuesday of next week, which means that they will then want to study their notecards for an upcoming test during the first week in October.  Additionally, students will be completing a brief simulation that will take about 3 class periods next week. 

Week of September 20

Thanks for checking the blog!  Starting this week, expect to see a quick summary once a week about what we are working on, and any upcoming due dates.   Please remember that due dates may change, so please check with me if there is any confusion.

9th

We will be working this week on our group project to create a government.  Students will be graded both as a group and as individuals for their contribution to the group.  Attendance each day is key, so please try to be here every day.  If students did not turn in their government vocabulary notecards, they must turn them in ASAP.  Late work in this case will be penalized!  Homework this week will mainly consist of working on the group assignment if a group falls behind and is unable to complete each day's task by the end of the period.  Additionally, notecards for the 15 Elements of Culture will be due on Tuesday, September 28th.  Students have already received that handout.

11th

If students did not turn in their government vocabulary notecards, they must turn them in ASAP.  Late work in this case will be penalized!  Students in 11th grade will finish discussing the Government Pre-Test on Monday, and then will participate in an abbreviated version of the simulation the 9th graders are doing, as described above.  No homework should be expected this week, other than reviewing the government notecards after they have been graded and returned sometime in the middle of the week.

Welcome to the 2010-11 School Year

Thanks for visiting the blog. 

I will be using this blog for several purposes.  First and foremost, this blog will be a way for parents and students to keep track of what we are working on in class.  About once a week I will post a quick summary of what assignments we are working on and upcoming due dates.  Additionally, I will post info on things of interest to the class, such as links to interesting articles or suggested TV shows or movies related to history.  Perhaps the coolest thing that this blog can be used for is to hold an online discussion.  I will occasionally create posts on the blog that students can comment on as a way to hold an informal discussion. 

It is my hope that students will regularly check this blog and use it as a tool to help them succeed.

Best of luck for this school year,


Mr. Larsen
KW Social Studies Dept.

World War 2 Extra Credit

Lots of films and documentaries over the three day weekend on the list will be on TV or available online. Here's a listing of programs I could find.

Movies on TV (Channel #'s and times for Comcast)
To Hell and Back, 2:45pm, Mon, AMC- Channel 67
Big Red One, 5:15pm, Mon, AMC- Channel 67
U-571, 4pm, Sun, UHD- Channel 660
Band of Brothers, 9am-all day, Monday, SPIKE- Channel 57/659

Documentaries on TV (For 10 pts)
Several shows, Friday thru Monday on Military Channel 274
Several shows, Saturday, HISTORY- Channel 37/671
Secrets of the Dead:  Airman and Headhunters, 1am, Sunday, PBS- Channel 9/109
The War: The Northwest, 3-5pm, Sunday, PBS- Channel 9/109
Hallowed Grounds, 11pm, Sunday, PBS- Channel 9/109
Marines at Montford Point (About African American Marines), 12am, Sunday, PBS- Channel 9/109

HULU.COM


Hope and Glory
Saints and Soldiers

NETFLIX
The Blue Max
Gallipoli
Paths of Glory
Letters from Iwo Jima
Patton
Midway
Hope and Glory
The Desert Rats
Fat Man and Little Boy
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Triumph of the Spirit
Escape from Sobibor
Miracle at St. Anna
Saints and Soldiers

Week of May 3

9th:   After a bit of delay, we finished the notes on Communism vs. Capitalism, and will be taking the test on Wednesday during the late start day.  The test will be a quick Multiple Choice test.  Honors students will receive their packets for Animal Farm and a book Tuesday, and  a reading schedule will be created on Thursday.  They will be required to read Animal Farm and answer the questions about it prior to Memorial Day weekend (May 28th).  An online test on Animal Farm will be given when they complete the book.  This will be the main way that Honors students will differentiate themselves from general ed students in the class this semester.

11th:  They are watching the film, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington.   Questions have been provided to complete during the film.  Afterwards, we will study for one day (probably at the end of the week), and then have a test on the Great Depression/New Deal and on the film.  The idea of the role of ethics and values in America from the film will be a focus as we study World War 2 and the Holocaust in the next  unit.

Week of April 26

It has been a while since I last posted.  Those last few weeks of Freshman Project were so busy, I completely dropped the ball on the blog.  Sorry!   Here's this week's plans.

9th:  Finishing lecture/video on communism and capitalism, with a test review day and then a test on Thursday or Friday.  Honors will receive their books and packets for reading Animal Farm outside of class for their Honors credit.  Next week we should be beginning World War 1.

11th:  Completing last week's assignment on the Great Depression/New Deal on Mon/Tues.  Then, we will be practicing some study skills in preparation for our test on Thursday or Friday.